AI Summit 2026 Highlights: Govt discussing age-based social media curbs with social media companies, says Vaishnaw

This blog is now closed. Follow Mint's latest LIVE coverage of the India AI Summit 2026 here.

Special traffic arrangements will be in place in New Delhi on February 18 from 4 pm to 10 pm due to events linked to the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Delhi Police has advised commuters to plan their journeys in advance, avoid affected stretches and strictly follow directions issued by traffic personnel at key intersections. Motorists have been urged to maintain lane discipline, avoid unnecessary halts and allow extra travel time.

Suggested alternate routes include San Martin Marg, Panchsheel Marg, APJ Abdul Kalam Marg, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Lodhi Road, South Avenue Road, Vandematram Marg, Barapullah Road, Ring Road, Tilak Marg, Ferozshah Road, Rafi Marg, Sansad Marg and K. Kamraj Marg.

In a separate development, Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, will not travel to India for the summit.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Huang cited “something really unavoidable” and has deputed a senior executive to represent the company instead. Nvidia continues to engage with Indian firms on potential AI investments and collaborations, according to the minister.

Amid confusion over his participation, Bill Gates will address the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed toMint that he will deliver his keynote as scheduled on 19 February at 11.50 am at Bharat Mandapam.

His name had briefly disappeared from the official participants’ list earlier in the day, sparking speculation. However, the foundation clarified that Gates remains on the programme. He has already begun his India visit, meeting Andhra Pradesh leaders in Vijayawada, according to PTI.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping India’s financial services landscape, with industry leaders highlighting its role in expanding access and improving operational efficiency at scale.

At a session titled “AI in Fintech: Transforming the Sector with Intelligence and Automation,” organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, participants said AI is accelerating fintech transformation and deepening market penetration.

Sajin Mangalathu of Hero FinCorp, Adelia Castelino of InSolutions Global, Soumyajit Ghosh of True Balance and Saurabh Tiwari of PolicyBazaar pointed to AI-led tools that are enhancing credit assessment, customer onboarding, KYC processes and service scalability, particularly in underserved segments.

Delhi has been placed under an unprecedented security grid as the India AI Impact Summit 2026 gets underway at Bharat Mandapam.

More than 4,000 AI-enabled cameras and over 15,000 security personnel have been deployed across the capital, with surveillance focused on preventing any disruption during the high-profile gathering attended by world leaders, tech executives and delegates from around 45 countries.

Infosys has tied up with Anthropic just days after concerns were raised about AI tools being used to disrupt the traditional business models of Indian IT companies.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei while speaking about the tie-up said, "There's a big gap between an AI model that works in a demo and one that works in a regulated industry, and if you want to close that gap, you need domain expertise,"

Speaking to news agency ANI, Qualcomm's Marketing Lead for Robots and Automotive, Shrestha Jain said, "Qualcomm is showcasing a full suite of robotics technologies under its Robotics System, including hardware, software, and compound AI integration. This system is designed to accelerate deployment of physical AI across diverse environments, from household robots to industrial autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and full-size humanoids. We are also showcasing Qualcomm's first robotics processor, the Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ-10, for full-size humanoids and advanced AMRs - entering premium-tier robotics for the first time,"

Speaking to reporters, Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "Whatever feedback you have, please share with us. We are open-minded. We have a war room operating right now...any issue which is there, please report to us. We definitely will take efforts to make it smoother and make it more enjoyable for all of you,"

Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw whie speaking to reporters at the AI Impact Summit said that India is expecting to attarct over $200 billion in AI driven investments over the next two years.

“We have seen VCs committing funds for deep-tech startups, we have seen VCs and other players committing funds for big solutions and big applications, we have seen VCs committing funds for further research in cutting-edge models.” said Vaishnaw

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a specialized AI language model called FiMI that has specifically been created for Indian payments sector.

The model was released on Day 2 of the AI Impact Summit and is designed to high-volume and high-trust needs of digital transactions.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while speaking at the AI Impact Summit said, “This is something which has now been accepted by many countries that age-based regulation has to be there,”

"Right now we are in a conversation regarding deepfakes, regarding age-based restrictions with the various social media platforms and... what is the right way to go about this," he added

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh while speaking at the AI Impact Summit said, “Ethics will be a very important determinant of how optimally AI can be used in the health sector,”

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was quoted by ANI as saying, "I think we need a stronger regulation on deepfakes. It is a problem growing day by day. We need to protect our society from this harm. We have initiated a dialogue with the industry on this."

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was quoted by ANI at the India AI Impact Summit as saying, "We sincerely believe that AI must be democratised. We must consciously try to bridge the AI divide."

Limited parking facility shall be available at the following parking locations

• Purana Qila Parking - 1.6 km
• Zoo Parking Space - 3 km
• JLN Stadium Parking 4.8 km

Shuttle services

Shuttles will ply from these locations (parking facilities) to Bharat Mandapam Gate No. 04. “Delegates are advised to use designated golf carts provided within the Bharat Mandapam complex to reach their respective venues,” it added.

President of Estonia, His Excellency Alar Karis, arrives and is welcomed the Delhi AI Impact Summit 2026 on 17 February.

Delhi AI Summit 2026 LIVE: Bharat Mandapam gate timings as follows:

• Gate No. 4: Operational for entry 8 am onwards; drop offs by cars/cabs.
• Gate No. 7: Operational for entry 8 am onwards; drop offs by cars/cabs.
• Gate No. 10: Operational for entry for delegates arriving by Metro.

Access through other designated gates shall remain subject to security clearance and movement restrictions as per protocol.

For delegates attending sessions at the Bharat Mandapam convention centre, the ministry noted, “Registered delegates are strongly advised to use public transport, metro services, or cabs to reach the venue, due to limited parking space availability”.

The following timings shall be applicable across the Summit venues on 17 February 2026, the Ministry of Electronics & IT said in a release on 17 February.

• Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre: 9.30 am to 6 pm
• Bharat Mandapam Expo Arena: 9.30 am to 6 pm
• Sushma Swaraj Bhawan: 9.30 am to 6 pm

According to Nico Schiettekatte, Counsellor for Health, Welfare and Sport at the Embassy of the Netherlands, innovations should not only focus on developing technologies in a human-centred way but also on how they are deployed and used to solve real problems, ANI reported.

“We're just researching for humans, but this time, we're looking at the impacts, and that's what we need to do. So if we apply these technologies for schools, are the students learning? If we apply it for health, are the patients recovering better? Therefore, I feel this is the real question we are now to answer. It's not about only how do we develop these technologies in a more human based approach, but also how do we deploy it and how we use it to solve our problems,” he said.

In an interaction with Associated Press, Union Minister Ashwinin Vaishnaw said, “Today, India is being seen as a trusted AI partner to the Global South nations seeking open, affordable and development-focused solutions,”

Speaking to news agency PTI, Nasscom AI Head Ankit Bose said, "AI is getting developed across the world, but who will deploy that. For that you need people... So now India adding capacity... AI is happening at a massive scale and Indian professionals will deploy that. So it's a big opportunity for us but we have to be ahead of the curve and we have to keep our skills up to date,"

Speaking to news agency ANI, Mariano Caucino, Argentine Ambassador to India said, "It's a great success for the Indian government to be able to hold this important conference on a subject that everybody is talking about this in the world."

IT Ministry has issued advisory for Day 2 of the ongoing AI Impact Summit. The ministry has clarified that the following timings would be appicable to all the summit venues:

• Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre: 9:30AM - 6:00PM

• Bharat Mandapam Expo Arena: 9:30AM - 6:00PM.

• Sushma Swaraj Bhawan: 9:30AM - 6:00 PM

The Ministry has also urged the delegates to use public transport, metro services, or cabs to reach the venue due to limited parking space availability.

It has also clarified details about the following gates:

• Gate No. 4: Operational for entry 8:00AM onwards; drop offs by cars/cabs.

• Gate No. 7: Operational for entry 8:00AM onwards; drop offs by cars/cabs.

• Gate No. 10: Operational for entry for delegates arriving by Metro.

• Access through other designated gates shall remain subject to security clearance and movement restrictions as per protocol.

• Self-drive vehicles: Limited parking facility shall be available at the following parking locations

(I) Purana Qila Parking-1.6km

(II) Zoo Parking Space-3 kms

(Ill) JLN Stadium Parking 4.8 km

Union MoS Health Anupriya Patel while speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026 said, "AI can support the doctors and reduce the burden of their routine work, but it can never take their place. What we need today is that our medical fraternity needs to be AI literate and help us achieve the goal of inclusivity and health equity,"

Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul urged innovators in the healthcare sector to co-create solutions with medical and public health experts, amid regulatory compliance requirement, ANI reported.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit on Monday, Paul requested innovators to frequently collaborate with health technical partners, including clinicians, biomedical scientists, microbiologists, clinical researchers, public health experts, pathologists and radiologists.

Emphasising that the goal is to build a culture of responsible adoption rather than innovation without oversight, Paul added, “We wish to work in the direction, use it by the law, we want a culture of adoption… Whatever is validated, give me those five tools and we'll absorb (them) into the system. We'll take them through the health technology assessment, make it available as a public good.”

International Energy Agency (IEA) expert Siddharth Singh feels that integration of AI can help manage complexities in the power sector, ANI reported.

During a panel discussion on Monday on ‘AI for Power — Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition’, Singh especially felt this is true for India, where the share of renewables is expected to grow in the years to come.

“...We are seeing a very strong trend of increasing complexity of the energy sector at large, specifically the electricity systems. So why is it becoming more complex? One is that in general the electrification is rising,” he said.

Adding, “For India improved forecasting variable electricity generation is a critical aspect. For solar and wind you need minute by minute (tracking) or by understanding of cloud-covered in the specific location... Those are the types of solutions that will be more relevant for India.”

Center of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) Director Dr Ramanand has hailed the Summit as a message that India is democratising both AI and technology.

Speaking to ANI, he stated, “The AI Summit is being held in India. The first summit was held in France, and after Europe, it is now taking place in India. India is being looked at with great hope and expectation. India is organising what is likely the largest AI summit so far. I do not think anyone has organised such a large summit on AI before. This event itself sends a message that India is democratising AI and technology. That is why it has invited people not only from India, but from all across the world.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today posted on social media platform X, calling the India AI Impact Expo 2026 “a powerful convergence of ideas, innovation and intent”.

“It showcased the extraordinary potential of Indian talent in shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence for global good. Above all, it reaffirmed our commitment to harnessing AI responsibly, inclusively and at scale for human progress,” he added.

The PM also posted a video of the highlights of the event on 16 Feb:

The cabinet secretariat has reportedly directed all officers (deputy secretary and higher posts) across ministries and departments to visit the AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, according to a News18 report.

It added that officials have been directed to attend and submit notes on their experience and observations, which will then be compiled by the respective secretaries.

Officers are also asked to observe the AI-based innovations and use cases, and identify apps relevant to their ministries, departments, and organisations.

Delhi AI Impact Summit 2026 LIVE: Agenda for Day 2 — 17 February 2026

• Release of Knowledge Compendiums (Casebook on AI Health, AI in Energy, AI & Gender Empowerment, AI in Education, AI & Agriculture, AI in Disabilities) — at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
• Seminar on Applied AI — at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
• AI by HER: Global Impact Challenge — at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi
• Keynotes / Panel Discussions / Roundtables — at Bharat Mandapam, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, and Ambedkar Bhawan, New Delhi.

Among the sessions today includes one on ‘Global South Forum: Shared Solutions, Shared Futures’, which aims to bring together policymakers, practitioners, and partners to share what works, and what doesn't, in using AI for public good.

Informed by dialogues in Kigali and Nairobi, the forum will focus on moving beyond small pilots to solutions that work within real budgets, infrastructure, and capacity.

“It examines how countries can build reliable systems and highlights practical approaches to scaling AI responsibly, strengthening institutions, and delivering lasting public value,” the website stated.

• Date and time: 17 Feb 2026, from 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
• Location: Sushma Swaraj Bhawan Auditorium, Chanakya Auditorium
• Speakers: Janet Zhou, Gates Foundation; Johan Harvard, Tony Blair Institute; Lacina Kone, Smart Africa; Nakul Jain, Wadhwani AI Global (Moderator); Robert Opp, UNDP; Shalini Unnikrishnan, BCG; Sunil Wadhwani, Wadhwani AI (Keynote Speaker).

Dhananjay Yadav, co-Founder and CEO at NeoSapien has claimed that his product, “India’s first patented AI wearable” was stolen at the event after security personnel asked them to vacate the area for sanitisation and security reasons. Here's what happened:

The AI Impact Summit 2026 official website notes three 3 sutras shaping a sustainable AI future

• People: AI must serve humanity in all its diversity, preserving dignity and ensuring inclusivity.
• Planet: AI innovation must align with environmental stewardship and sustainability.
• Progress: AI's benefits must be equitably shared, advancing global development and prosperity.

The AI Impact Summit will start at 9:30 AM and continue until 6:00 PM from 16-20 February 2026.

Traffic movement will remain restricted on several key stretches, including:

• Mathura Road
• Subramania Bharti Marg
• Rajesh Pilot Marg
• Tees January Marg
• Akbar Road
• Teen Murti Marg
• Mother Teresa Crescent
• Sardar Patel Marg
• Janpath
• Firoze Shah Road
• Shanti Path
• Satya Marg
• Safdarjung Road
• Kartavya Path, and adjoining roads.

Check the full traffic advisory here amid CBSE board exams as well.

The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has requested delegates to use public transport due to limited parking and revised gate access.

• Registered delegates are strongly advised to use public transport, especially the Delhi metro, to reach the venue.
• Pragati Maidan metro station will be the most convenient station for delegates, who can enter the venue from Gate 10.
• Further, also due to limited parking space, the Delhi Police has advised delegates to use cabs rather than their own vehicles.
• For those opting to travel by private vehicle, limited parking is available at the Delhi Zoo, Purana Qila Parking, and Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium.
• Shuttle services will ply between these parking spots and the summit venues, and between the summit venues and Bharat Mandapam Gate 4.

Good morning and welcome to Mint's LIVE coverage of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, India. Stay tuned to this blog for all the latest updates and developments from the India AI Summit.